2018 Summer LCK Week 5 is here, which means, we only have four weeks left before the playoffs start. Yes, we’ve barely noticed the weeks going by, but at the same time, we’ve seen so much from the LCK that it’s now possible to make some pretty realistic assumptions about what’s going to happen in this region.

Having seemingly carried over their success from the previous split, the top teams of LCK have remained the top teams, with the sole exception of Griffin, who came out of nowhere and disrupted the status quo. But, other than that, things have been nearly predictable. Although, one thing that stood out is probably how some of the carrying teams of last split seem to be performing worse than they should have.

Case in point, Kingzone DragonX has been slipping in their gameplay, and the world champions of last year are barely recognizable. Even worse, the LCK aren’t nearly as dominant internationally as they’ve been in years past.

Having said that, it’s time that cut to the chase and give you our preview for 2018 Summer LCK Week 5.

Hot Take: SKT Might Not Make it to the Playoffs

Real talk here: SKT isn’t doing too well right now. They barely made it to Worlds last year. In fact, they barely made it to the playoffs at all. From there onwards, they made all the right moves which got them all the way to the finals, but we’d be lying if we said they didn’t have some luck on their side as they didn’t have to face some of the most powerful teams in the world during the international stage.

This year appeards to be different, though. Heading into 2018 Summer LCK Week 5, SKT are a lot worse than they were last year, which is saying something. In fact, they are so far down the LCK ladder that qualifying for the playoffs would require a full-blown miracle at this point. SKT are currently 8th on the LCK ladder, which is a tough spot to be in, and to get out of.

Even MVP, a team that we never really paid much attention to, is ahead of them.

SKT were able to cut it close to the chest and get into the playoffs during the Spring split. That ended up being one of the worst things Korea could have wanted. SKT’s performance stayed the same as it had during the rest of the season, which clearly showed during Rift Rivals. While the other Korean teams didn’t take the Rift by storm, they would have done much better had Gen.G or Hanwha Esports gone in place of SKT.

2018 Summer LCK Week 5: Favorite Team of the Week

Griffin are the bane of every team in the region right nowGriffin are the bane of every team in

Griffin, of course. At this point, we really don’t have alternatives to work with. No matchup seems too difficult for this team. They’ve been bulldozing their way across the LCK, and their biggest regret so far is that they accidentally suffered a loss. As compared to other teams in their region, and teams worldwide, they’re a legend in the making as of now. The only team that looks like it could challenge Griffin could be RNG from the LPL. Even that’s a long shot, although we’re confident that Misfits from the EU LCS will be able to destroy them with ease (please, Misfits).

They’re up against some of the toughest teams in the region this week. If they’re going to undergo a second loss, this is when it’ll happen. A loss here and there won’t change a thing, though, because their performance far outstrips any team we’re seeing right now. As for predicting what’s going to happen this week, we think Griffin will come out on top of every match they’ll play.

2018 Summer LCK Week 5: The Underdogs

bbq OLIVERS need to step up their game if they want to win a single match this split – Image via yong woo ‘kenzi’ kim Flickr

From an observer’s point of view, bbq OLIVERS seem to want to make the record of most-losses during this split. The only LCS team that comes close to them is H2K from the EU LCS. Both these teams are headed straight towards relegations, and they’ll need to make groundbreaking plays if they want to stay. This week, bbq OLIVERS have a chance at making a comeback during their match against Jin Air GreenWings.

The trouble is, Jin Air are known to surprise their opponents at the worst of times. If they somehow end up winning against bbq, that could be the end for this team because there’ll be no coming back from that stage. Their second match is against Afreeca Freecs, and that team is trying desperately to make it into the playoffs stage. We doubt there’s any chance that Afreeca will give up this relatively free win, and bbq OLIVERS haven’t shown the consistency necessary for us to have any faith in them during this matchup.

We already know who the best team is going to be coming into the second half of the split. However, what we don’t know is who’ll be grabbing the second place. Gen.G and Kingzone DragonX are both fighting for this spot, and a direct match between them will demonstrate which team actually deserves it. Gen.G had a rough start of the split. Them not going to Rift Rivals shows how far they’ve fallen since they won the World Cup last year.

However, they seem to be back in their game lately. They’re performing far more consistently, and unlike SKT, they’ve managed to stay in the top teams of the LCK. Kingzone, on the other hand, have been dwindling downwards during this split. The loss at Rift Rivals along with Griffin replacing them as the best team hasn’t gone down too well with them.

Gen.G has already made a comeback from their slump, but it seems like Kingzone is going to take some time. This is where Gen.G need to strike, and if they do, they could easily take down Kingzone while they’re in a weakened state. We think Gen.G has the edge in this matchup. It might not be easy, but Gen.G could take this game 2-1 if they play their cards right.

The only team to hold the record of defeating Griffin and living to tell the tale, kt Rolster have some pressure on their shoulders during this match. Griffin also need to tread carefully, because kt Rolster are definitely going to try and harden the short supremacy they hold over this super team.

For now, we’ll put our money on Griffin, because their last and only defeat could be blamed on complacency and being caught off guard. Kt, on the other hand, would have been preparing immensely and solely to take down Griffin. Now that they’ve got Griffin’s attention, things should play out differently. We think this match will go over to Griffin without too much difficulty. However, if kt Rolster do somehow manage to win, we’ll be keeping a much closer eye on this team from here on out.

Kt Rolster vs. SKT

kt Rolster have SKT figured out. The telecom war should go over to them this time around – Image via yong woo ‘kenzi’ kim Flickr

Regardless of how bad SKT is faring, no matter what the season or split, they’re a different team when facing kt Rolster. The telecom wars are legendary, and they’re going to be jam packed with action this time around too. However, we’re biased towards kt Rolster this time around, and for some legitimate reasons.

For one, kt Rolster came up with a new playstyle this year that SKT hasn’t yet learned how to deal with. Before, kt generally ended up playing right into SKT’s hands by playing aggressively into a patient opponent. However, things are different now because kt has mixed up their playstyle with a more balanced and laid-out approach. They can play for the late game, all the while pushing for an early game victory. Kt Rolster has finally become the kryptonite to Korea’s ex-superman. And now, heading into 2018 Summer LCK Week 5, SKT has never been worse.

A combination of Kt Rolster’s improvement and SKT’s declining performance should give Kt Rolster an easy win if they can keep their cool and play consistently.

What do you think about our analysis for 2018 Summer LCK Week 5? Do you think Griffin will continue on their dominating streak? Do you think SKT will lose against kt Rolster? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.

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